Sea The Stars looked a potential superstar with an impressive victory in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, won by an Irish-trained runner for the sixth time in eight years. The colt, an 8-1 shot trained by John Oxx, finished strongly to beat the 3-1 favourite, Delegator.

"You could see from a long way out that he was going to make it count," Oxx said. "I am delighted with him. He is a horse with a big future. He has everything - speed, temperament, size and strength.

"He has such a presence in the yard and horses like him get you out of bed in the morning." Sea The Stars is now likely to be aimed at the Derby on 6 June, a race the trainer won with Sinndar in 2000.

"I've had great belief in this horse ever since I sat on him in May last year," said the winning jockey, Mick Kinane. "For a big, gangly colt, he was always going easy and I was always looking forward to the day when he matured.

"He can only improve. We had a few hiccups and we were worried we might be chasing him a bit to get him here. He didn't work that well in midweek on heavy ground, but worked great when we got him on a better surface on Thursday and I said we had to be here."

A half-brother to 2001 Derby winner Galileo, Sea The Stars is a top price of 5-1 to win a second Classic at Epsom, making him the new favourite ahead of Crowded House. Epsom is also the target for third-placed Gan Amhras, an 8-1 shot to make it two Derbys in a row for trainer Jim Bolger.

No plans were immediately forthcoming for Delegator, for whom the going was slightly too firm according to his trainer, Brian Meehan.

Aidan O'Brien, who has dominated the Guineas in recent years, has made a slow start to 2009. His two fancied runners, Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman, finished fourth and fifth in today's renewal but both are likely to do better next time.

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